Good Morning, Colorado, you’re listening to the Daily Sun-Up with the Colorado Sun. It’s Friday June 25th.

 

Today - Although the state has been trying to move away from coal, one Southern Colorado coal mine is doing the unexpected. The New Elk Mine in Trinidad reopening after being closed for decades. 

 

But before we begin, let’s go back in time with some Colorado history adapted from historian Derek R Everett’s book “Colorado Day by Day”:

 

Today, we take you back to June 25th, 1923 when Warren G Harding, who historians consider one of the worst American presidents, drew a crowd in Denver. Escaping a plethora of scandals in Washington DC, Harding and his wife set out on what was called a “Voyage of Understanding”. The journey was intended to connect the president to a less critical public. 

 

Now, our feature story.

 

Colorado has been trying to move away from coal, with all but one of its seven remaining coal-fired power plants slated to close in the next few decades. But one Southern Colorado coal mine is bucking the trend, with the New Elk Mine in Trinidad reopening this week after being closed for decades. Colorado Sun reporters Jason Blevins and Thy Vo talk about why the mine fired up last week with plans to ship as much as 2.5 million tons of coal a year to overseas steel plants.

 

To read more of Jason’s reporting on the coal industry, go to coloradosun.com.

 

And Before we go, here are a few stories that you should know about today:

 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has extended the federal eviction ban for another month to July 31. This is good news for thousands of Coloradans still waiting to be approved for -- or receive -- rental assistance. According to a recent household survey by the U.S. Census, 30.4 percent of Colorado households -- or about 77,000 -- are behind on rent or mortgage payments and face “very likely or somewhat likely” foreclosure in the next two months.

 

Thornton’s city council is expected to vote next week to use its status as a utility funding and building a critical piece of infrastructure to overturn Weld County’s denial of a permit to build a pipeline to bring water to the city from a reservoir near Fort Collins. Weld County’s commissioners denied the city’s request to run about half of the 75-mile pipeline through an unincorporated part of the county. Thornton believes state statute gives it legal status to overturn that denial. This fight has been going on since 2015 and Thornton would like to have the pipeline complete by 2025.

 

A police officer involved in the shooting left three people dead in Olde Town Arvada on Monday has been put on administrative leave. This suggests the officer shot and killed Johnny Hurley, the good Samaritan credited with preventing more bloodshed, sources say. Officers are typically placed on leave after shooting people until an investigation can determine if the shooting was justified. The investigation is being conducted by a team of area law enforcement agencies led by the Jefferson County district attorney's office.

For more information on all of these stories, visit our website, www.coloradosun.com. And don’t forget to tune in again tomorrow for a special holiday episode. Now, a quick message from our editor.

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Good Morning, Colorado, you’re listening to the Daily Sun-Up with the Colorado Sun. It’s Thursday June 24th.

 

Today - The housing crisis is worse than ever in many resort towns. In fact, a new survey found that the vast majority of high country residents believe it’s become a severe problem.

 

But before we begin, let’s go back in time with some Colorado history adapted from historian Derek R Everett’s book “Colorado Day by Day”:

 

Today, we take you back to June 24, 1889 when Telluride’s San Miguel Valley Bank was robbed. Three armed men had overpowered the employees and confiscated more than $20,000. One newspaper called it “one of the most daring pieces of robbery recorded in criminal history”. Ultimately the bank’s shareholders covered the loss.

 

Now, our feature story.

 

Mountain communities in Colorado have long struggled with housing, but the affordability crisis is worse than it’s ever been in many resort towns. Workers in Crested Butte have threatened to strike while local leaders in Frisco have talked about declaring a local emergency. And a new survey of 4,700 high country residents found just about everyone believes housing availability and prices are “severe problems” for mountain towns. Advocates say it should be a wake-up call for local officials. Colorado Sun reporters Jason Blevins and Thy Vo talk about what’s behind the high country affordable housing crisis.

 

To read more of Jason’s reporting on mountain communities, go to coloradosun.com. 

 

And Before we go, here are a few stories that you should know about today:

 

The first draft of Colorado’s revised congressional district maps dropped Wednesday afternoon and the knives are already out. Because the state’s population increased more than 14 percent in the last decade, Colorado gets a new U.S. representative. The new 8th Congressional District is centered in the fast growing north metro Denver suburbs in order to capture a large block of Latino voters. But in southern Colorado, political activists are calling the maps racist because they placed many Latino voters in solidly Republican districts.

 

Arvada police still have not said much about the shooting Monday in Olde Town Square that left three people dead. But a man working in a store across from where the shooting happened says one of his customers ran out of Arvada Army Navy Surplus with his gun and shot the suspect. Police identified the man as John Hurley. Hurley also was killed, but police have not said who fired on him. Police officer Gordon Beesley died in the shooting, as did the suspect, identified as Ronald Troyke.

 

John McAfee, the creator of McAfee antivirus software, was found dead in his jail cell near Barcelona in an apparent suicide Wednesday, hours after a Spanish court approved his extradition to the United States to face tax charges punishable by decades in prison. McAfee built many palatial homes with the fortune he made when he sold his company, including a 280-acre compound/yoga retreat near Woodland Park, that was foreclosed on in 2007. 

 

For more information on all of these stories, visit our website, www.coloradosun.com. And don’t forget to tune in again tomorrow for a special holiday episode. Now, a quick message from our editor.

 

The Colorado Sun is non-partisan and completely independent. We're always dedicated to telling the in-depth stories we need today more than ever. And The Sun is supported by readers and listeners like you.

 

Right now, you can head to ColoradoSun.com and become a member. Starting at $5 per month for a basic membership and if you bump it up to $20 per month, you’ll get access to our exclusive politics and outdoors newsletters. Thanks for starting your morning with us and don’t forget to tune in again tomorrow.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Good Morning, Colorado, you’re listening to the Daily Sun-Up with the Colorado Sun. It’s Wednesday June 23rd.

 

Today - Rural Colorado communities have experienced limited access to broadband for years -- but the issue was front and center during the pandemic. Now, the state is using funds from the American Rescue Plan address it.

 

But before we begin, let’s go back in time with some Colorado history adapted from historian Derek R Everett’s book “Colorado Day by Day”:

 

Today, we take you back to June 23rd, 1947 when Governor W Lee Knous pressed a button to start pumping water through the Colorado - Big Thompson Project’s tunnels. It’s one of Colorado’s largest, most complicated, and expensive water relocation efforsts. 

 

Now, our feature story.

 

Coronavirus put the spotlight on an issue that has dogged rural Colorado communities for years -- access to broadband internet. People living on tribal lands are among the worst off. Now the state is using money from the American Rescue Plan to beef up funding for broadband projects with the hope of eventually getting the state’s rural areas to 100 percent coverage. Colorado Sun reporters Tamara Chuang and Thy Vo talk about the state’s latest moves to improve internet access.

 

To read more of Tamara’s reporting about broadband access, go to coloradosun.com.

 

And Before we go, here are a few stories that you should know about today:

 

Arvada police say Officer Gordon Beesley, who was killed in a shooting in Olde Town Arvada Monday, was targeted in an ambush-style attack because he was wearing his uniform. Police Chief Link Strate said the suspected shooter, whose name hasn’t been released, expressed hatred toward law enforcement. The other person killed by the suspect, 40-year-old John Hurley of Golden, was described as a good Samaritan who tried to intervene. 

 

Preliminary congressional district maps will be released late Tuesday afternoon at a meeting of Colorado’s Independent Congressional Redistricting Commission. It’s the public's first look at where a new 8th Congressional district might be located, and comes ahead of a roadshow of public hearings hosted by the commission in July to get public input. The maps will be updated again once the U.S. Census Bureau releases the final census data in August.

 

Two Colorado mobile home communities were sold to resident cooperatives on Monday. The high-dollar transactions for a park near Boulder and one near Durango are the first under a new state law that gives residents the first crack when a mobile home park is put on the market. A state database that tracks mobile home park listings reports more than 900 mobile home parks are either on the market or have changed hands in the last several months

 

A new law signed by Gov. Jared Polis aims to make it easier for former prison inmates who worked on fire crews to get jobs in the industry after they’ve served their time. While the prisoners selected to work as firefighters are often model inmates, their criminal convictions can be a barrier to getting firefighting jobs when they are released. The law says that people with felony convictions are eligible to work as wildland firefighters in the state Division of Fire Prevention and Control, and that the division is encouraged to hire former prison inmates who have worked on fire crews. 

 

For more information on all of these stories, visit our website, www.coloradosun.com. And don’t forget to tune in again tomorrow for a special holiday episode. Now, a quick message from our editor.

 

The Colorado Sun is non-partisan and completely independent. We're always dedicated to telling the in-depth stories we need today more than ever. And The Sun is supported by readers and listeners like you.

 

Right now, you can head to ColoradoSun.com and become a member. Starting at $5 per month for a basic membership and if you bump it up to $20 per month, you’ll get access to our exclusive politics and outdoors newsletters. Thanks for starting your morning with us and don’t forget to tune in again tomorrow.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Good Morning, Colorado, you’re listening to the Daily Sun-Up with the Colorado Sun. It’s Tuesday June 22nd. 

 

Today -  As a wave of Coloradans and have demanded access to ballots, the state’s Secretary of State has put new rules into place limiting the ability for election office employees to get official voting equipment.

 

But before we begin, let’s go back in time with some Colorado history adapted from historian Derek R Everett’s book “Colorado Day by Day”:

 

Today, we’re taking you back to June 22nd, 1850 when Lewis Ralston made the first recorded discovery of gold on a tributary of Clear Creek in what is now Jefferson County. He had spotted a few flakes of gold in a stream that now bears his name.

 

Now, our feature story.

 

Colorado’s Secretary of State has implemented new rules limiting access to official voting equipment to employees of a county election office, the Secretary of State’s office, a voting system vendor or be an appointed election judge. It comes as a wave of citizens and outside interests have demanded clerks provide access to ballots and even voting equipment. Colorado Sun contributor Sandra Fish and reporter Thy Vo talk about the new rules and how people are reacting.

 

To read Sandra’s story, visit coloradosun.com.

 

And Before we go, here are a few stories that you should know about today:

 

Three people, including a police officer, were killed Monday afternoon in a shooting near the library in old town Arvada. Few details were released, but an Arvada police spokesman said in addition to the veteran cop, the suspect and another person died. The police officer is the second cop to be killed in a shooting in Colorado this year. The first was an officer killed during the mass shooting in a Boulder King Soopers store in March.

 

The Colorado Supreme Court has rejected a ballot measure on animal cruelty, ruling that the question seeking to define common ranching and farming practices as sex acts with animals violates a clause in the state constitution. The court found that the ballot question violated the single-subject ruling that requires such measures to deal with a single topic. The rejected measure would have made artificial insemination against the law and also required that ranch animals get to live 25% of their lifespan before getting slaughtered. 

 

A $16 million upgrade to a single mile of metro Denver’s Cherry Creek Regional Trail is nearing completion. The project fixed a popular section of the 40-mile regional trail where high water had cut into the mud and gouged 20 feet below the top of the banks. The expensive project restored the banks with grading and terracing, added a walking path to ease conflict between pedestrians and cyclists, and put four new crossover bridges in place. The repaired section is expected to open later this summer.

 

For more information on all of these stories, visit our website, www.coloradosun.com. And don’t forget to tune in again tomorrow.

 

The Colorado Sun is non-partisan and completely independent. We're always dedicated to telling the in-depth stories we need today more than ever. And The Sun is supported by readers and listeners like you.

 

Right now, you can head to ColoradoSun.com and become a member. Starting at $5 per month for a basic membership and if you bump it up to $20 per month, you’ll get access to our exclusive politics and outdoors newsletters. Thanks for starting your morning with us and don’t forget to tune in again tomorrow.

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Good Morning, Colorado, you’re listening to the Daily Sun-Up with the Colorado Sun. It’s Monday June 21st

 

Today - As Colorado sees a rapid spread of the Delta COVID-19 variant, public health officials are urging anyone who hasn’t been vaccinated to get their shot. 

 

Before we begin, let’s go back in time with some Colorado history adapted from historian Derek R Everett’s book “Colorado Day by Day”:

 

Today we’re going back to June 21st, 1997 when world leaders got together at the Denver Public Library for the Summit of the Eight. Participants included the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Canada, Germany, Italy, Russia, and France. Members of the European Union also attended as observers. For four days Denver was transformed into what felt like a high security world's fair

 

 Now, our feature story. 

 

Colorado is seeing rapid spread of the Delta coronavirus variant, which appears to be the most transmissible mutation of the virus to date. While most vaccinated people will have strong protection against the variant, public health officials are urging the unvaccinated - who make up most of those now being hospitalized with coronavirus - to get their shot. Colorado Sun reporters John Ingold and Thy Vo talk about the Delta variant and the ongoing COVID risks for the unvaccinated. 

 

To read John’s story about the Delta COVID variant, visit coloradosun.com.

 

Thanks for listening. Finally, here are a few stories you should know about today:

 

Companies that are hiring remote employees are saying in their job listings that Colorado workers need not apply. They’re protesting a new rule that requires postings for work in Colorado to include a salary range and a description of benefits. This transparency doesn’t sit well with at least 90 companies, including Twitter, Airbnb, Lime, CBRE and McKesson, all of which have a significant footprint in Colorado. According to the Colorado Excluded database run by a software engineer, these companies all say their remote jobs may not be performed in Colorado.

 

2020 was a great year for PERA, the retirement plan for state and school district employees. But even the 17.4 percent return on its investment was enough to fix the fund’s financial problems. The bumps the fund hit in the road include that the state of Colorado did not make the $220 million payment it was supposed to last year because of pandemic worries. And the year ended with two to eight percent fewer employees from state and local governments and school districts paying into the plan.

 

A survey of 545 Colorado adults conducted by conservative-leaning Magellan Strategies showed that 90 percent of Colorado adults who are registered as Democrats have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. Among Colorado adults who are registered as unaffiliated voters, 76% have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. And only 57% of Republicans said they have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. 

 

For more information on all of these stories, visit our website, www.coloradosun.com. Now, a quick message from our editor.

The Colorado Sun is non-partisan and completely independent. We're always dedicated to telling the in-depth stories we need today more than ever. And The Sun is supported by readers and listeners like you.

 

Right now, you can head to ColoradoSun.com and become a member. Starting at $5 per month for a basic membership and if you bump it up to $20 per month, you’ll get access to our exclusive politics and outdoors newsletters. Thanks for starting your morning with us and don’t forget to tune in again tomorrow.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Good Morning, Colorado, you’re listening to the Daily Sun-Up with the Colorado Sun. It’s Friday June 18th.

Today - G. Brown, a former Denver Post music columnist and journalist now has a new venture - a nonprofit called The Colorado Music Experience. It aims to create an online historical archive of Colorado’s music scene. 

But before we begin, let’s go back in time with some Colorado history adapted from historian Derek R Everett’s book “Colorado Day by Day”:

Today, we take you back to June 18th, 1960 when Coloradans witnessed a confluence of politics and sports. State Democrats assembled in Durango at the same time as the US Open golf tournament was taking place in Denver. The meeting drew only one contender for the presidential nomination - John F Kennedy who spoke to an audience of 2.500. Meanwhile a golfer Arnold Palmer made history of his own with a come from behind triumph

Now, our feature story.

Brown is a longtime fixture of Colorado’s music scene. The former Denver Post music columnist and journalist now has a new venture - a two-year-old nonprofit, The Colorado Music Experience, dedicated to creating an online historical archive of Colorado’s music scene. Colorado Sun reporters Kevin Simpson and Thy Vo talk about G. Brown’s career and his efforts to preserve the state’s pop music legacy.

 

Gov. Jared Polis has signed a sweeping transportation fee and spending bill that aims to inject more than $5 billion dollars into state road and transit projects over the next 11 years. The governor Thursday signed Senate Bill 260 near an interchange on I-70 that is slated for a nearly $1 billion overhaul. The fees that start next year include 27 cents on deliveries, including from Amazon, FedEx and GrubHub, and 30 cents on Uber and Lyft rides. Starting in July 2022, the state would charge another 2 cents per gallon on gasoline and diesel fuel, with that fee increasing by 1 cent every year until it reaches 8 cents a gallon. 

 

A proposed ballot initiative that would tax recreational marijuana to provide tutoring and after school programs to mostly low-income students is dividing educators, lawmakers and community groups. Initiative 25 would add a 5% tax on recreational marijauna sales to generate about $138 million a year, and divert $22 million in state land board revenue to the program. Advocates say the measure would help close learning gaps between low-income students and more affluent peers. But opponents say it is a back door to a school voucher program.

 

The Western Conservative Summit will take place in Denver Friday and Saturday. The event includes pre-recorded videos as well as in-person speakers. The live speakers include Colorado’s Republican U.S. Reps. Lauren Boebert, Ken Buck and Doug Lamborn, who are scheduled to appear Saturday. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Good Morning, Colorado, you’re listening to the Daily Sun-Up with the Colorado Sun. It’s Thursday June 17th.

 

Today - Off-roading is a $24 billion-dollar industry in Colorado that surged during the pandemic. Now rural communities are struggling to balance the economic boom and the noise and other issues that come along with it.

 

But before we begin, let’s go back in time with some Colorado history adapted from historian Derek R Everett’s book “Colorado Day by Day”:

 

Today, we take you back to June 17th, 1859 when George F Griffith found gold in a broad valley at Georgetown. Griffith had mined in California before joining his family on the Missouri River in Iowa. Then, with rumors of gold in the Rocky Mountains Griffith joined a party bound for Pikes Peak country. Years later Georgetown also became Colorado’s first silver boomtown.

 

Now, our feature story.

 

Off-highway vehicles, or OHVs, have seen a surge in popularity in Colorado since the pandemic. Off-roading is a $24 billion-dollar economic driver for the state. Now rural, remote towns are struggling to balance the economic boom of welcoming off-road enthusiasts and the noise, pollution and traffic problems they can bring. Colorado Sun contributor Nancy Lofholm and Reporter Thy Vo talk about how towns are dealing with the growing popularity of OHVs. 

 

To read Nancy’s story on how Colorado towns are dealing with off-highway vehicles, visit coloradosun.com.

 

And Before we go, here are a few stories that you should know about today:

 

Thieves across Colorado are targeting catalytic converters, a key part of a vehicle’s emissions system that can be easily stolen and sold to recycling companies or scrap yards for a quick profit, according to police. The converters are designed to convert environmentally hazardous carbon monoxide emitted by an engine into less harmful gases. They’re attractive to thieves because of the rising cost of precious metals used to make them. 

 

The Colorado Privacy Act passed by lawmakers earlier this year would give Coloradans the right to tell companies to stop collecting their data and delete any personal data collected. If signed into law by the governor, the measure would apply to companies that target Colorado residents, store or process personal data on more than 100,000 consumers a year, or which profit from the sale or processing of personal data for at least 25,000 consumers a year. The law doesn’t apply to all data, such as employment records, personal data like health or financial information that is governed by existing state or federal laws, or data that is no longer linked to a specific consumer. 

 

Colorado oil and gas regulators worried the state will be left on the hook for plugging and cleaning up wells abandoned by their operators want companies to post a financial guarantee to cover the cost. The rules would apply to all 50,000 wells in the state and would require operators to post a $78,000 guarantee for each well they own. The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission is especially worried about wells that produce only tiny amounts of oil. Operators of these low-producing wells say making them post large bonds may cause them to go out of business and create more orphan wells. Colorado currently has 535 orphan-well sites to remediate, with 239 wells to plug.

 

For more information on all of these stories, visit our website, www.coloradosun.com. And don’t forget to tune in again tomorrow for a special holiday episode. Now, a quick message from our editor.

 

The Colorado Sun is non-partisan and completely independent. We're always dedicated to telling the in-depth stories we need today more than ever. And The Sun is supported by readers and listeners like you.

 

Right now, you can head to ColoradoSun.com and become a member. Starting at $5 per month for a basic membership and if you bump it up to $20 per month, you’ll get access to our exclusive politics and outdoors newsletters. Thanks for starting your morning with us and don’t forget to tune in again tomorrow.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Good Morning, Colorado, you’re listening to the Daily Sun-Up with the Colorado Sun. It’s Wednesday June 16th.

 

Today - Advocates and lawmakers are pushing to boost funding for schools with higher amounts of low income students. 

 

But before we begin, let’s go back in time with some Colorado history adapted from historian Derek R Everett’s book “Colorado Day by Day”:

 

Today, we take you back to June 16th, 1934 when a ceremony along the Colorado River in Eagle County dedicated the Dotsero Cutoff. The cutoff is a 38 mile long connection between two railroad lines. It gave Denver a western rail outlet to the rest of the country. 

 

Today it remains in operation as part of the Union Pacific Railroad system and carries passengers via Amtrak.

 

Now, our feature story.

 

The number of families that qualify for free or reduced price school lunches is a common indicator for measuring poverty in communities. In Colorado, it’s also a major factor in the formula that determines how schools are funded. Reporters Erica Breunlin and Thy Vo discuss the changes that advocates and lawmakers want to make to boost funding to schools with more low-income students. 

 

To read more of Erica’s reporting on how Colorado lawmakers are rethinking school funding, visit coloradosun.com.

 

And Before we go, here are a few stories that you should know about today:

 

A jury has found Devon Erickson, the second STEM School Highlands Ranch shooter, guilty of first-degree murder for his role in the May 7, 2019 attack. The jury delivered its verdict after just five hours of deliberation. The 2019 attack left eight students injured and one student, Kendrick Castillo, dead. Castillo was fatally shot as he and several other students stormed Erickson to disarm him.

 

Colorado’s once-a-decade redistricting process is in full swing, led by the state’s two new, independent redistricting commissions established by Amendments Y and Z. Despite extensive efforts by nonprofits, political groups and other interes to influence the commissions, so far only twelve people have registered as lobbyists to influence the commissions. Anyone communicating with the commissions as part of their job is required to register as a lobbyist.

 

Ken Salazar, the former U.S. Interior Secretary and U.S. Senator, will be nominated by President Joe Biden as the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico. Salazar is a Colorado College graduate who has recently worked for the Denver branch of the law firm WilmerHale.

 

For more information on all of these stories, visit our website, www.coloradosun.com. And don’t forget to tune in again tomorrow for a special holiday episode. Now, a quick message from our editor.

 

The Colorado Sun is non-partisan and completely independent. We're always dedicated to telling the in-depth stories we need today more than ever. And The Sun is supported by readers and listeners like you.

 

Right now, you can head to ColoradoSun.com and become a member. Starting at $5 per month for a basic membership and if you bump it up to $20 per month, you’ll get access to our exclusive politics and outdoors newsletters. Thanks for starting your morning with us and don’t forget to tune in again tomorrow.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Good Morning, Colorado, you’re listening to the Daily Sun-Up with the Colorado Sun. It’s Tuesday June 15th. 

 

Today - As Colorado enters another summer of high temperatures ranchers face the issue of dry soil among other problems. So how are they coping?

 

But before we begin, let’s go back in time with some Colorado history adapted from historian Derek R Everett’s book “Colorado Day by Day”:

 

Today, we’re taking you back to June 15th, 1941 - the date of the inaugural concert at Red Rocks amphitheater. The New York Times reported that nothing in the US could equal the beauty and scenery of the outdoor theater. Early concerts at Red Rocks featured classical music at the insistence of parks director George Cranmer. 

 

Now, our feature story.

 

Colorado is entering yet another summer of high temperatures, parched soil and dry, dead grass. And that’s a big problem for Colorado ranchers. When there isn’t enough river water to flood pastures or groundwater for hay meadows, ranchers are forced to buy hay, ship their livestock elsewhere for grazing or even sell off cattle. Reporters Michael Booth and Thy Vo talk about how Colorado ranchers are coping with yet another year of drought.

 

To read more reporting from Michael Booth, Jennifer Brown and Jason Blevins about how the state’s extreme drought is affecting Colorado ranching and agriculture, visit coloradosun.com.

 

And Before we go, here are a few stories that you should know about today:

 

Adams 14 school district will not offer online learning for elementary school students and will make only 300 spots available for remote learning by middle and high school students. The north metro district says remote learning is expensive and difficult to execute, and that elementary school online learners lagged in academic progress last year compared with peers who returned to the classroom full time.

 

Prosper Colorado, an arm of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, says the minimum a person needs to earn to be self sufficient is $45,000. The group’s goal is to get most people living in metro Denver to earn that amount or more. Currently, almost 40 percent of metro Denver workers earn less than $40,000.

 

Rocky Mountain forests are more flammable now than during any period in the last two thousand years, researchers looking at materials preserved in the bottom of mountain lakes found. The records of past fires preserved in the sediment of 20 lakes in the central Rocky Mountains showed that areas that used to burn once every 230 years now can be expected to burn every 117 years. The researchers from Montana and Wyoming cite climate change, human activities, forest fire suppression and insect killed trees for the increase in flammability.

 

For more information on all of these stories, visit our website, www.coloradosun.com. And don’t forget to tune in again tomorrow.

 

The Colorado Sun is non-partisan and completely independent. We're always dedicated to telling the in-depth stories we need today more than ever. And The Sun is supported by readers and listeners like you.

 

Right now, you can head to ColoradoSun.com and become a member. Starting at $5 per month for a basic membership and if you bump it up to $20 per month, you’ll get access to our exclusive politics and outdoors newsletters. Thanks for starting your morning with us and don’t forget to tune in again tomorrow.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Good Morning, Colorado, you’re listening to the Daily Sun-Up with the Colorado Sun. It’s Monday June 14th

 

Great Outdoors Colorado executive director Chris Castilian will soon be leading the National Ski Patrol. 

 

Today - How he’s worked to make the outdoors more accessible and what he’ll be working towards in his next role. 

 

Before we begin, let’s go back in time with some Colorado history adapted from historian Derek R Everett’s book “Colorado Day by Day”:

 

Today we’re going back to June 2003 when a granite outcropping along the Rocky Mountains eastern front joined the National Register of Historic Places. The outcropping supposedly resembles Beelzebub in profile, and it was named Devil’s Head. It’s one of the highest points in Douglas County. And perched atop the mountain stands a small building, one of the last manned fire watches in Colorado.

 

 Now, our feature story. 

 

After four years and a slew of accomplishments at Great Outdoors Colorado -- including helping create the new Fishers Peak State Park -- executive director Chris Castilian is chasing a new adventure. Outdoors reporter Jason Blevins recently interviewed Castilian about his work to make the outdoors more accessible and what comes next as he moves on to head the National Ski Patrol and assist Colorado Mountain College. Jason and reporter Erica Breunlin talked about how Castilian has shaped Colorado parks and communities and what he hopes to achieve at his new post. Jason also recapped ski area visits this last season, which blew past resorts’ expectations. This season was the fifth busiest ever, despite the pandemic. Now, resorts are challenged with trying to retain all the skiers they drew next season and beyond.

 

To read more about Castilian’s impact on Colorado’s outdoors and keep up with ski area numbers, visit coloradosun.com.

 

Thanks for listening. Finally, here are a few stories you should know about today:

 

Recent sightings of gray wolf pups in Colorado for the first time in 80 years will not significantly influence the state’s voter-mandated reintroduction of the species. Colorado voters passed a measure requiring Colorado Parks and Wildlife to restore the predators in the state by the end of 2023. A campaign to solicit input and develop a plan is moving forward, with more than 40 meetings among different communities throughout the state, including on the Western Slope and in western Colorado, where the animals will be reintroduced.

 

Colorado’s three Republican U.S. Representatives -- Doug Lamborn, Ken Buck and Lauren Boebert -- sent a letter to Gov. Jared Polis last week asking him to end federal unemployment benefits early. But Polis, a Democrat, says Colorado will stick with its plan to pay the benefits until federal aid ends on Sept. 6. Sending back the money allocated by Congress would be bad for individuals, businesses and the economy, he said in a letter back to the representatives. Twenty-five states, all led by Republican governors, are ending federal aid to unemployed workers this month because of how challenging it’s been for employers to find employees. 

 

Closing arguments in the STEM School shooting case are scheduled to begin this morning. Defense attorneys for Devon Erickson, who is charged with first-degree murder, rested their case Friday afternoon. One of their witnesses was a toxicologist who testified that Erickson had been a near-daily user of cocaine, marijuana and cough syrup and that, combined with long-term sleep deprivation and insomnia, disrupted his behavior and thinking. Erickson is accused of firing a gun two years ago in a Highlands Ranch school classroom. Kendrick Castillo was killed and eight other people were injured. The second defendant in the case was sentenced to life in prison last summer.

 

For more information on all of these stories, visit our website, www.coloradosun.com. Now, a quick message from our editor.

The Colorado Sun is non-partisan and completely independent. We're always dedicated to telling the in-depth stories we need today more than ever. And The Sun is supported by readers and listeners like you.

 

Right now, you can head to ColoradoSun.com and become a member. Starting at $5 per month for a basic membership and if you bump it up to $20 per month, you’ll get access to our exclusive politics and outdoors newsletters. Thanks for starting your morning with us and don’t forget to tune in again tomorrow.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.